1989 was a year in which a number of events important to the production of Doctor Who and its spin-offs occurred.

3 August - The final studio recording session for the 1963-89 series of Doctor Who was undertaken as work was completed on Ghost Light. Discounting a voiceover session conducted in November, this marked the end of BBC production on the series until work on the revival commenced in 2004.

23 November - Sylvester McCoy recorded the monologue that ended episode 3 of Survival and, ultimately, the original 1963-89 Doctor Who series. This was a late addition to the serial by John Nathan-Turner, who expected it to be the final episode. Ironically this was also the anniversary of the debut of Doctor Who in 1963. It was also one of the few times since the 1960s that a major element of a televised serial was filmed while the serial in question had already begun airing.